Police: Porn triggered fight between former cop, wife

Nicholas Cardenas, 38, served with state, tribal police

Santa Fe police said pornography triggered a fight between a former officer and his wife.

Police charged 38-year-old Nicholas Cardenas, a former New Mexico State Police and tribal police officer, with child abuse.

Police said they got a call from Cardenas' wife about 2 a.m. Saturday. She told them her husband was hurting her, and officers arrived to find her with a bruised eye and cuts on her legs.

When officers arrived at the home on the city's south side, they learned that Cardenas had gone into the couple's 10-year-old daughter's room, trashed her closet, ripped away her clothing rod, pulled her dresser apart and threw the pieces of furniture at his wife.

Investigators said Cardenas also threatened his young daughter, saying he was going to kill her. Police said the girl was not physically hurt.

"These are this child's mother and father, and they're the people who are supposed to keep her safe," said Santa Fe Police Department Sgt. Andrea Dobyns. "This child has to witness this. Not only are we worried for her physical state, but her emotional state, as well."

Cardenas' wife told police she and her husband had been drinking alcohol and got into a fight because one of them had been watching pornography.

Police have arrested Cardenas several times in the past for a range of violent crimes.

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